Controversial. Bold. Legendary. These
are the words that come to mind when I think about the man they call Kanye West.
I’ve been a fan of Mr. West since his debut album The College Dropout was released. And the works that followed such
as Late Registration, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak, My
Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus,
and The Life of Pablo – just to name some, have solidified him as one of the most memorable
artists of our time. Songs like All Falls
Down, Homecoming, and his verses
on Slow Jamz are my favorites. When
he first released 808s & Heartbreak,
it had to grow on me awhile, as it was different from his previous works, but
on tracks like Heartless, you can
hear the raw and passionate sound in his lyrics and voice. When My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
dropped along with a creative visual video, I was blown away. Regardless of
what the press says about him, his on and off again beef with Taylor Swift, or
those who aren’t fans, one thing for sure is that he’s a creative genius. I
admire his boldness, authenticity, and ability to create work that is out of
the box. Yeezus was another album
that had to grow on me as well, but the change in his work is understandable
(as he was settling down with his wife Kim Kardashian-West and starting a
family.) The Life of Pablo was
another great work, and I was once again impressed by his creativity and vision
with music videos for tracks like Famous
and Fade (which was massively dope –
Teyana Taylor is definitely inspiration for body goals.) But aside from music,
Kanye West also has a unique approach towards fashion. When I was a
teenager I remember seeing him don Louis Vuitton in the press, and now he has
an incredible fashion line of his own. That’s impressive. And who could forget
his memorable speech at the 2015 MTV VMAs when he shared that he was running
for president in 2020? And with the way things have been going in the world,
anything is possible. You never know what you’re going to get with this guy,
and I’m excited to see what he creates next. Check out All Falls Down from The College Dropout in the link below.
It’s some of Kanye’s best work… https://youtu.be/8kyWDhB_QeI
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...